They tend to fall into a small number of categories. Some
stand out for being agonisingly close encounters, often with dramatic
conclusions. Others are memorable for their significance, while my
contemporaneous notes indicate the warm, fuzzy feeling engendered by superb
attacking play. Then there are the pleasant surprise results or the frankly
bizarre.
The first Five Nations fixture which has stayed in my mind
without any recourse to research was the Scotland-Wales clash in 1971. Seen in black and white,
of course, it now serves as a reminder of how bewitching the Welsh side were in
their early-Seventies pomp, how small the players look compared with today’s
giants and also how loose defensive tackling could be in those days. For all
the thrilling tries by Barry John, Gareth Edwards and Gerald Davies, the
definitive image I have in my head is that coolly-taken towering conversion decider
by the flanker John Taylor.
That ended 19-18, but I also waxed lyrical 28 years later
when France and Wales served up a 34-33 cliffhanger in Paris. The
peroxide-haired Tomas Castaignede and triple try scorer Emile Ntmack starred
for the home team but Neil Jenkins’ boot made the difference. I was with Kim at
the time so didn’t watch many rugby matches but I was thankful for the
opportunity to witness this one. Six weeks later, well into April, the final
Five Nations championship was determined by another nail-biter, although sadly
this one eluded me. In the very last game, Wales came from behind to defeat the
English favourites by a single point and hand the trophy to the free-scoring
Scots.
More recently, the Scots were on the receiving end of
another emotional cliffhanger. In the 2015 World Cup, they were robbed of a
semi-final place by a dodgy penalty decision as Australia pipped them by 35-34. Ouch! However, for sheer
disbelief, nothing can ever compete with the astonishing finale to the
France-Wales encounter in the 2017 RBS 6 Nations tournament. At eighty minutes,
the Welsh were five points ahead thanks to Leigh Halfpenny’s six penalties.
However, a controversial reverse substitution, relentless French attacks and
desperate defence created an incredibly tense situation. France were awarded a
sequence of penalties but needed a converted try to win. When Chuly finally
bundled over the line, the clock on the screen registered 100 minutes. Record-breaking for the
tournament and heartbreaking for Wales, while as a TV spectator I felt totally
drained.
That match didn’t affect the destination of the overall
trophy but there have been many dramatic title-clinchers watched by me from one
settee or other over the years. An early example came forty years ago, when
Wales claimed a Grand Slam by beating France 16-7 at the old Arms Park. Much
as I loved the French at the time, there was something awe-inspiring observing
Edwards and Bennett in tandem. And three drop-goals was almost unheard of in
the Seventies.
Two years later, it was England’s turn to win all four
matches, including an “exciting, free-flowing” 30-18 defeat of the Scots at Murrayfield. It must
have been a brilliant performance for me to praise England! Fast forward ten
years and the Five Nations went to a last-game shootout between the same
countries. On this occasion I cheered Scotland to a 13-7 triumph and their second Grand Slam
in six years.
In the new millennium, since the arrival of Italy, it has
been harder to achieve a 100% success rate and yet there have been several
Grand Slams. 2009 produced another winner-takes-all finish, although Wales
needed to beat Ireland by more than 13 points to take the Triple Crown and
overall title. It proved an attritional
contest with the men in red 6-0 up at half-time. However, with skipper Brian
O’Driscoll crossing the try line yet again and Ronan O’Gara kicking the goals,
the Irish won 17-15 to achieve their first Grand Slam for 61 years.
In 2012, I was in the process of becoming an honorary Welsh
citizen. With perfect timing I was able to absorb the very special Grand Slam
fever which permeated the entire principality. It wasn’t a new experience for
my fellow Cardiffians; Wales had won in both 2005 and 2008 with a new
adventurous style. Whilst the dashing Shane Williams had retired, by 2012 Sam
Warburton was leading an array of talent and, despite having scrambled wins
against Ireland and England, went into the last day determined to beat France.
They didn’t disappoint. Alex Cuthbert scored the only try, Dan Lydiate tackled like a trojan and even football fans went wild with delight.
Low-scoring attritional forward battles can make for
absorbing television but for me, creative running is what rugby is all about.
In this respect, two matches in particular have stood out. Both involved Wales,
but in different ways. In 1991, after watching France romp home 36-3, my diary
reported: “Brilliant
back play in massacring Wales was so heartwarming to watch. Magic”. Twenty-two
years later my loyalty was directed towards the men in red as they put the
preening primadonnas of England to the sword by 30-3.
In 1993, too, Wales got the better of England but it was a
much tighter affair. Will Carling’s side were the favourites but Ieuan Evans’
pace and resilient second half defence ensured a surprise 10-9 result. “One in the eye for the jingo boys”, I wrote breathlessly. In 2015,
England were again hotly fancied, this time in their own World Cup. They were
drawn in the group of death with Australia, and Wales were expected to miss
out. The home team played all their fixtures at Fortress Twickenham so it was
especially extraordinary to watch the Welsh upset the applecart with a vibrant
28-25 victory,
having once been ten points adrift. That tournament also featured a match I
missed but so wish I hadn’t: Japan’s nailbiting injury-time finale against
South Africa. An astonishing upset.
A couple of summers previously, no fewer than ten Welshmen
were in the British Lions XV in Australia. I’d never shown much interest in
Lions tours. They take place in the cricket season, the games often kicking off
at inconvenient times on the other side of the globe, and I struggle to
understand what the Lions represent. 2013 saw a significant shift in my
opinion.
It felt like we were watching a powerful Wales outfit (plus
a handful of guests) take on the Welsh bêtes
noires, the Wallabies. The first two Tests had been decided by extremely
narrow margins and the whole series came down to the Sydney decider on the
morning of Saturday 6th July. We had been renting a cottage in the
Carmarthenshire village of Llansteffan, and had to be out after breakfast.
Luckily we were granted permission to keep our car outside in order to hang
around for a few extra hours so we could sit in the Castle Inn and join the
locals watching the rugby. The atmosphere was wonderfully convivial, boosted by
the pleasure of experiencing a resounding 41-16 thrashing, So what if we faced
lengthy jams on the M4 in a heatwave; we were on a rugby-induced high!
The background story can be the crucial ingredient in what
makes a match memorable. My final choice is a perfect and unique example. It
was Italy’s Six Nations fixture against Wales on 26th February 2011. With exquisite symmetry,
I saw the first half in an Italian restaurant, the second half in a Welsh pub.
The score was irrelevant. What made it unforgettable was that it was my first
date with Angie. For the record, Wales won the game but I won The Match!
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